WARREN TWP., Ind. -- An accident between a South Shore Train and a car left one dead Sunday night.The crash happened near Pine Road Crossing near Ardmore Trail in Warren Township around 8 p.m. The South Shore train left the Chicago Millennium Station at 4:43 p.m. (5:43 Indiana time) with the final destination of the South Bend Regional Airport. The train was traveling eastbound at 70MPH with 200 people on board.

Police say the driver was headed southbound in a tan Mercury Mountaineer on Pine Road when he collided with a eastbound South Shore train and was killed. According to friends online, the victim is 22-year-old Ray Voreis.

There are two sets of railroad tracks at the crossing (South Shore Line and Norfolk Southern.) At the time of the crash, a westbound Norfolk Southern train was also crossing the intersection. Police said it appeared that all crossing arms and red light warning signals were working properly at the time of the crash.

It is unknown why the driver drove into the path of the train. Investigators were informed by South Shore officials that each train is equipped with an exterior camera, and video may be available to assist in their investigation.

No one on the train was injured. Investigators interviewed the train conductor and engineer. The train was deemed safe, and it was allowed to continue to the airport.

There won't be any delays to the normal South Shore train schedule for Monday.

SOUTH BEND — The South Shore railroad will mark the dawn of a new era Monday morning.That’s when the commuter rail system will start running weekday express service between South Bend and Chicago.The inaugural run of the “Sunrise Express” is scheduled to leave South Bend International Airport at 6 a.m. and arrive at Millennium Station in downtown Chicago just 1 hour and 55 minutes later. An afternoon express train will depart Millennium Station at 3:57 p.m. and reach South Bend in about 1 hour and 58 minutes.It’s a major step for the South Shore system, as officials look at other improvements in an effort to cut the travel time between South Bend and Chicago down to 90 minutes.“Our growth as a railroad will depend on reducing travel times to Chicago, and that starts in South Bend and goes all the way to the city,” Michael Noland, general manager of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, told The Tribune last month when the express plan was announced. “This type of service really is the wave of the future for the South Shore.”The express service will be more than 40 minutes faster than the existing early-morning train from South Bend to Chicago. South Shore officials expect it will be attractive to Michiana residents who make business trips to Chicago.Only about 30 to 40 people typically ride the existing early-morning weekday train that leaves South Bend. John Parsons, marketing director for the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, which operates the South Shore railroad, said he hopes to see twice as many passengers board the first train Monday in South Bend.The express train will stop at two other stations — Dune Park and East Chicago — en route to the Windy City.

Passengers should also take note of some other weekday schedule changes that take effect Monday as a result of the new express service. That information is available at www.nictd.com.The express trains will not run on weekends.kallen@sbtinfo.com574-235-6244@KevinAllenSBT

New route for South Shore could cost 40 homes in South BendBy Jeff Parrott South Bend Tribune Jul 15, 2017 Updated Jul 15, 2017 (3) South Shore launches website, hotline for feedback on new South Bend route

The South Shore Line travels near Bendix Drive on May 31, 2017. Railroad officials Friday announced a new website and phone hotline where the public can comment on plans to realign the route through the Ardmore neighborhood for a faster trip to South Bend International Airport. Tribune File Photo/ROBERT FRANKLINSOUTH BEND — While maintaining that it hasn’t yet picked a new route through the Ardmore neighborhood, the South Shore Line expects to displace 35 to 40 households in that area as it cuts a faster path to South Bend International Airport, the commuter railroad’s president said Friday.

Ardmore residents can comment on the project through a new website launched Thursday, www.sbn-rail-reroute.com, or by calling a “project hotline” at (855)-SBN-RAIL, South Shore Line President Mike Noland announced at a press conference at the airport.

Ardmore is an unincorporated residential area just beyond South Bend’s western edge, situated between the airport and the existing rail line.

Friday’s event, held in the airport’s boardroom, was intended for news media, but that didn’t stop a handful of Ardmore residents from attending.

One of them, Rich Collins, urged the railroad to abandon its plans to build a new route somewhere between Oak Road and Lexington Avenue.

“We have a petition and everyone is signing it,” Collins said. “It’s going to be very hard for you to cross Edison Road. Very hard.”

The South Shore Line now passes the airport, heads north along Bendix Drive and doubles back west to its station at the airport.

Pending federal funding approval, the realignment would be part of a $290 million plan, including double-tracking 16 miles between Gary and Michigan City, to shorten the South Bend-to-Chicago train ride from two and a half hours to 90 minutes.

The realignment near the airport would shave an estimated 10 to 13 minutes from the trip.

The South Shore Line has hired engineering firm DLZ to conduct a study that will arrive at a recommended path for the new route. DLZ will hold a public meeting somewhere in the Ardmore neighborhood on a yet-to-be-determined date in late September, Noland said.

At that meeting, residents will learn which route officials are leaning toward, and then the railroad will announce its final decision sometime in the spring. Construction would begin next summer and finish in 2020.

Community organizer Willow Weatherall asked Noland whether the railroad would consider bringing the South Shore downtown, something she thinks would greatly benefit the city.

Noland said South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg had asked him the same question before the press conference.

But Noland said that Norfolk Southern, which owns the railroad right-of-way through the downtown, has declined the South Shore’s request to use its tracks.

The St. Joseph County council this week agreed to contribute its $18.25 million share for the double-tracking, and city officials have committed to spending $25 million for the route realignment through the Ardmore area.

Noland said the South Shore Line doesn't like the idea of forcing people out of their homes but believes the project's economic development potential warrants it.

"You don't do this unless it's a game-changer, 100-year type of project," Noland said. "We believe this is the type of project that can do that."

The Tribune asked DLZ officials at the press conference to identify the most likely route for the realignment. But Noland said it's too soon for that.

"I think we gave them the notice to proceed about four weeks ago," Noland said. "Until they've had the opportunity to do some evaluation, it's premature. It's not going to be long. We'll be back in September to give some definitive route options."http://www.southbendtribune.com/news/lo ... 53138.html

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